"So, what exactly did you do? You actually managed to get Nous's algorithm?"
In Herta's office, the purple-haired puppet girl's eyes were wide with shock as she stared at Su Mo.
If Su Mo hadn't already refused her invitation to study him, she really would have wanted to get her hands on him and see just how his brain was wired.
How did the things he did keep breaking the cognitive boundaries of a genius like her?
Something she, an Emanator of Nous, couldn't even get, Su Mo got in a single visit?
Was that reasonable?
They say the Aeons don't have human emotions, but wasn't Nous being a little too biased?
"It was just a bit of negotiation. The Aeons have their own positions. As long as you grasp their fundamental interests, negotiating isn't difficult," Su Mo said lightly.
As a being who frequently interacted with humans, Nous was actually one of the easiest Aeons to communicate with.
"Negotiating with an Aeon... You've redefined 'not difficult'!" Hearing this, Herta's lip twitched as she retorted.
Deducing an Aeon's precise stance was no simple matter, let alone coming up with a bargaining chip that would interest them.
If anyone actually believed Su Mo's words, they'd find they couldn't even get an audience with Nous, let alone obtain his algorithm.
If Asta saw her expression now, she would surely find it very familiar.
Because the researchers on the space station often wore the same complex expression when dealing with Herta.
"Nous's algorithm is indeed quite excellent, but it's more suited for astral computers. To adapt it for the Ex-Machina, I've optimized parts of it. It's now running in a matrix format on the Ex-Machina's computational network."
Looking at Schwi, Su Mo casually said something that made all the geniuses present fall silent.
Just getting Nous's algorithm was enough to stand out among the members of the Genius Society.
As for optimizing Nous's algorithm, probably not even the founder of the Genius Society, Zandar, who was also Nous's creator, could say it so casually.
However, none of the geniuses present had any doubt about this bold claim.
It wasn't just because of the abilities Su Mo had previously displayed, but also because of the finished product before them: Schwi.
"Mr. Su's optimization is truly breathtaking."
As a master of mechanics and programming, Screwllum gave Su Mo's work high praise, his tone even sounding somewhat reverent.
"Nous's original algorithm already had a self-optimization function. Under Mr. Su's improvements, this function's efficiency has doubled. Even without the computational power of the Ex-Machina network, just a tiny fraction of Miss Schwi's single-end computing power is enough to run the Simulated Universe project perfectly."
After optimizing the algorithm, Herta had transferred the Simulated Universe project to Schwi to test its effects.
Then, everyone discovered that the Simulated Universe project, which took up the vast majority of the station's computing power, put less than a one-thousandth of a burden on Schwi.
Keep in mind, the supercomputer Herta used was already the pinnacle of stellar civilization technology, a top-secret official version not for sale by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
But even such computational power was insignificant to Schwi, who was equipped with Nous's algorithm.
If the entire Ex-Machina computational network were activated, the dimensional gap between the two would become even greater.
"If the computational power can be freed up to this extent, then many of the ideas we had to compromise on before can now be attempted!"
At the mention of this, Herta's eyes lit up.
The feeling of not being constrained by resources was truly wonderful.
With this thought, she looked at Su Mo, her eyes somewhat pleading.
"So, Su Mo, can I borrow Schwi's computing power? Or the power of another Ex-Machina would be fine too! Don't worry, I won't use it for free. As repayment, Ruan Mei will do anything!"
"?"
Ruan Mei, who was standing to the side, tilted her head and slowly typed a question mark.
"Ahem! I mean, I will do anything!" Herta quickly corrected herself.
"Really, anything?" Su Mo asked, somewhat curious about this promise.
"...As long as it doesn't affect my research, anything else is negotiable. Even if you want this space station, or even Asta, it's not out of the question."
Herta said these unscrupulous words without any psychological burden.
"That's not negotiable at all!"
Just then, Asta opened the office door, carrying a tray of freshly brewed black tea.
Hearing Herta's explosive statement, she blushed and immediately retorted.
She hadn't expected to be nearly sold off by Herta after being gone for just a moment.
She subconsciously glanced at Su Mo. Although she wasn't averse to Su Mo himself, she was still mortified by Herta's words.
"Madam Herta, if you really want to show your sincerity, why don't you offer your own puppet?"
Although she was Herta's subordinate, the two were actually good friends. As a young lady from a wealthy family, she was no slave. Gifting her away was purely impossible.
"My puppet?" Hearing this, Herta looked down at herself. "My puppet is useless in standby mode, and even when I'm online, I don't have the administrative skills to be of assistance. Even if Su Mo wanted it, what's the use?" she evaluated objectively.
"Huh? Work skills? Is that what you meant?"
Asta paused, finally understanding.
So, Herta meant for her to work for Mr. Su?
Had she misunderstood?
"Yeah, what else could it be?"
Herta looked at Asta suspiciously. Noticing her flushed cheeks and rising body temperature, she suddenly had a realization.
"Tsk, speaking of which, Asta, you're at that age, aren't you? No wonder you're so flustered. But Su Mo would be a good match for you. If Su Mo is willing, I'd love to see what his offspring's abilities are like... If we could mass-produce geniuses, this universe would be really interesting!"
Herta had no intention of teasing Asta about her adolescent fantasies. In her view, the biological mechanisms of living beings were just like physical laws, nothing to be shy or concerned about.
Compared to that, she was more interested in whether Su Mo's abilities could be inherited.
However, a normal young girl like Asta would surely be unable to handle Herta's words. Fast-forwarding to having children was a bit too much for her sense of shame.
She immediately retorted fiercely, "If that's the goal, why don't you do it yourself, Madam Herta? The offspring of two geniuses would surely have a higher potential, right?"
An ordinary girl would probably feel shy hearing this.
But Herta was different. Hearing Asta's words, she paused for a moment, then a look of great interest appeared on her face.
"That's right! Why didn't I think of that before?"
If she and Su Mo could create a crystal that inherited both their strengths, wouldn't it have the talent to rival an Aeon?
"Unfortunately, a puppet can't get pregnant. Do I have to bring my main body over?"
Seeing her tempted look, Asta was dumbfounded.
She was just saying it. How could Herta have taken it seriously?
If the puppet could get pregnant, Herta would probably have sent it over that very night.
Just then, Ruan Mei, who was standing to the side, shook her head. "There is no need for that."
Hearing this, Asta breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that not all geniuses were weirdos like Herta. There were still normal people like Miss Ruan Mei who knew to stop Herta's bizarre ideas.
Just as she was thinking this, Ruan Mei continued, "Having me here is enough. If Master... Su Mo allows it, we should also be able to conceive a very excellent child."
Hearing this, Asta nearly spat out the tea in her mouth.
What in the world?
She thought Ruan Mei was here to stop Herta, but she didn't expect her to have her eyes on Lord Su Mo too!
She immediately glanced back and forth between Herta and Ruan Mei, her eyes burning with gossip.
Could it be that these two cold and aloof geniuses had actually fallen for the same person and were about to stage a drama of two women fighting over a man?
Unfortunately, under Asta's intense, gossip-filled gaze, upon hearing Ruan Mei's proposal, Herta not only didn't argue but her eyes lit up.
"That's right! With your achievements in the field of life, Ruan Mei, you'd have a much better grasp on the hereditary traits of the offspring. You might really be able to conceive a child that surpasses both of you!"
"..."
Asta fell completely silent.
She shouldn't have had any expectations for the geniuses' moral compass.
Fortunately, at this moment, Su Mo's words salvaged her opinion of them.
"Before discussing such matters, shouldn't you ask for the opinion of the person involved?"
"Then what is your opinion?" Herta and Ruan Mei looked over at the same time.
"I disagree."
"Tch, what a shame." Herta shook her head but didn't press the matter. "So, about the Ex-Machina's computing power?"
"That's no problem. I'm part of the Simulated Universe project anyway. This is a small matter not worth asking for."
"That's great!" Herta immediately became excited.
"I will station an Ex-Machina on the space station. You can borrow her computing power. If you have an urgent matter and need to contact me, you can have her relay the message," Su Mo added.
For him, both the Simulated Universe project and Herta Space Station were things worth monitoring.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of her energy supply!" Herta patted her chest, then thought for two seconds. "Your idea of using an Ex-Machina as an emergency contact seems pretty good. I can find you anytime and don't have to worry about losing contact. So, do you want my puppet?"
"It doesn't have any other use, but it's good for remote communication. It would be more convenient for me to find you too."
Inspired by Su Mo, she felt that her puppet might have some value after all.
As she spoke, remembering Asta's misunderstanding earlier, Herta blinked and added, "Although the regular puppets aren't equipped with that function, if it's for you, I can add a special one. Just make sure to turn off the remote communication function before you use it so I don't accidentally walk in on you."
"..."
Asta wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.
Madam Herta is so bold. Wasn't she afraid that Mr. Su would deliberately be mischievous and not turn off the remote communication function?
No, wait, thinking about Herta's attitude toward Su Mo, even if he did that, she probably wouldn't have much resistance.
Speaking of which, based on what she knew about Herta, this genius shut-in seemed to have never had any romantic experience. She appeared indifferent to such things, but in reality, she had never had similar thoughts. Her thinking seemed to ignore ethics, but her actions were exceptionally conservative.
Even in the scientific community, her reputation was mostly that of a bloodless, tearless research fiend. She had never been seen to be as tolerant of others as she was with Su Mo, even being willing to modify her puppet's functions for him.
From this perspective, this genius was so sharp when analyzing others, but when it came to herself, she might not be so self-aware!
Thinking of this, she looked at Herta, then at Su Mo and Ruan Mei, and the flames of gossip in her heart burned brightly.
Faced with Herta's bold topic, Su Mo showed the same calm attitude as her.
"No need for too much trouble. However, you can give me one of the puppets. There will be some things that require your participation later, and having a puppet will be more convenient."
"No problem."
The two immediately settled the matter.
Looking at how well they got along, Asta suddenly felt that Herta's previous proposal might very well come true.
At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if her direct boss was replaced by Su Mo at any time.
---||---
Not long after, the geniuses' tea party came to a successful conclusion.
Six universally renowned geniuses were now simultaneously participating in the Simulated Universe project.
And as the fame of Holou, the newborn genius, and Su Mo, the uncrowned genius, spread from the Interastral Peace Corporation...
Su Mo had returned to the Astral Express. Right under March 7th's nose, he spoke to the Stellaron girl.
"Come on, come into my room with me. I'll give you a check-up!"
"Yes, Father!" The little gray-haired girl immediately followed obediently.
Watching the familiar door close before her, the pink-haired girl, poisoned by countless forbidden fanfictions, was slightly dazed.
No... it can't be, right?